Wine Red
by The Celestial Anachronism
Summary: Pepito feels that Squee is missing out on too much in his life and tries to rectify the situation. Will be PepSquee, later on.
1. Chapter 1

TCA: I do not own Squee, JTHM, or any other character. They belong to Jhonen Vasquez and Slave Labour graphics.

Please review!

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Pepito Diablo was proud of his heritage. There had never been a doubt about _that_ particular quality in Pepito. He wasn't the sort of person-devil-thing that could deny or turn his back on a single part of himself. He believed that having some concept of one's heritage, having roots, was the only way to remain truly stable in the world. Blowing up people's heads only could take one so far.

Pepito knew himself inside and out. He understood the part of himself that was human (his mother's spoiled little son in every way) and the part of himself that was Satan-spawned (and enjoyed causing chaos and disorder wherever he went)…and he understood the part of himself that was Spanish, through and through. And, since he knew himself so completely, it upset him that his best-friend, his amigo eternal-Todd Casil-did not have the same opportunity.

As far as Pepito was concerned Todd's parents were scum. He couldn't wait until the day that they would die…he intended to torture them just like they had tortured his Squee. Squee didn't have any cultural heritage, his parents had never told him where was descendant from. He didn't have any family history (or at least not one that he talked about while awake. Pepito had heard him mumble the words 'Grandpa Hattie' and 'don't eat me' so many times in his sleep that it wasn't even funny) or even a family religion (Oddly enough, due to the fact that religion was common among most families, it had also been the most unsettling fact in the lack of heritage).

It terrified him sometimes, though he would never admit it, when he thought about how his amigo had grown up. He couldn't imagine having absolutely _nothing_ to base one's life upon. So, from the moment that he got his satanic little hands on Squee, he promised himself that he would not let go.

The first few attempts at giving Squee some sort of cultural legacy hadn't gone as well as he had planned. Their first dinner together had ended up traumatizing the poor innocent boy. Pepito didn't have the heart to explain his reasoning to Squee, so the boy left not knowing that Pepito was trying to _give_ him something. Something…that they could have shared.

Pepito kept on trying though, and it wasn't that long before Squee began to warm up to him…though he didn't warm up to the idea of giving the young Anti-Christ his soul.

So Pepito tried to include his amigo in everything that he did. After a time the trips that Pepito took began included Squee. He dragged him to cultural festivals, restaurants, Satanic rituals. He felt that maybe, if he tried hard enough, he could make up for the shitty life that Todd Casil had had.

Because, really, being with Squee was just like understanding himself…there was always another obstacle to cross and another layer to uncover. Todd brought out the best in him while bringing out the worst. He didn't know how that was possible, but it was.

And, because of everything that his amigo did for him, Pepito wanted to give him _something_. But the only (remotely) good thing he could give Squee was his heart, and even that might scare his friend away.


	2. Without the Sour

TCA: Squee and all of its affiliated characters belong to the great Jhonen Vasquez. If I owned them, there would be more Pepito and Squee interaction!

Remember to read and review-such things make me happy. If you're interested check out my deviantart, the account name is the same, only minus the 'the'. I'll be posting up a PepSquee pic that I drew as soon as I finish it.

Storytime Storytime Storytime Storytime

Todd Casil's desk was empty, and it had been for a full month and a half. Every day the teacher would do role call in her hissing voice, and every day there was a pregnant pause after the name "Casil, Todd" was called out. Well, it was only a pregnant pause in Pepito's opinion. But his opinion was really the only one that mattered, seeing how he was the only one that cared about the missing boy.

He had just vanished one day. No one knew where he had gone and no one really cared. But Pepito cared, and he missed the boy terribly. There had been something _in_ him that was so delightfully warped yet still so innocent, and that something drew him like a moth to a flame. Pepito could _taste it_ in the air around Squee-it was practically tangible.

The strange and tantalizing aura wasn't the only thing that had drawn him to the wide-eyed boy though. Everything about him had just seemed to click with Pepito. The young Anti-Christ had never had something like that occur before, so the friendship was slightly confusing at first.

Pepito felt the distance every waking moment, every day that Todd Casil was not at school. Sometimes he couldn't even escape it in his dreams…he would wake up covered in sweat after a night of tossing and turning. Something bad was happening to his amigo-he just knew it.

Todd's parents were still living in the same house, so Pepito knew that Squee had not moved. Pepito had been surprised when he had talked to the two of them. He hadn't ever met such abhorrent people in his entire life.

"Son…what son?" Todd's mother had cocked her head to the side and looked at him with the curiosity of a four-year-old. Todd's father had merely grunted, adjusted his glasses, and threw a box full of children's things onto the curb in a cardboard box. There was a handful of stuffing on the top of it all.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Go away." Todd's father had made a sweeping gesture with his hands, as if he was shooing of a speck of dirt. Pepito had hissed at him, filling his face with as much loathing and disdain as he could manage. He had picked up the box of things- Todd's things- and walked away. He wouldn't forget, and he wouldn't forgive.

They had refused to tell him were Squee was so he did the only thing that he could think of-

Pepito Diablo got his parents, Rosemary Diablo and Juan Diablo involved.

It started out as a simple dinner conversation.

"Mother, Father- I need your help…please." Pepito's tone was pleading and soft. He did not know how he was going to word his request but he felt as if he had to try. Pepito moved his peas around on his plate with a fork. Occasionally he would stab one and bring it to his lips. He was nervous.

"Is it math again son?" Senor Diablo cocked his head to the side while looking at his child. Considering Pepito's demeanor, it probably wasn't something as simple as math. It didn't hurt to cover all the bases though, and if Pepito was left to his own devices he would take a literal eternity to spit out whatever he wanted to say.

"Squee…" Pepito's voice cracked as he tried to utter the sound. "My Amigo, my Todd, is missing. Gone. I've done as much as I can, being a child myself and not to good at magic yet, but I don't know where he is. His parents are still at home, so he hasn't moved…I miss him." A tear trailed down Pepito's cheek, only to be evaporated by the heat of his body.

Pepito's parents had not seen the young demon cry since he was a baby in his cradle. The sight of the tears was disturbing on to many levels for them to even name.

Pepito's father was Satan and his mother was a social worker. They were both equally dangerous when Pepito's welfare was concerned, and both of them were also very influential. Still it was a surprise, when two weeks later, Todd Casil was found.

"Pepito, dearheart, we need to talk." Rosemary placed her hand on her son's shoulder and gave him a comforting look. Her hands were shaking just slightly and her eyes held fragments of emotion that made him uneasy inside.

They sat down together on the couch and Rosemary began to explain the situation to her son. It was not a fun explanation to give to a child.

"Sweetie, Todd is…well…he's not doing to well." Rosemary Diablo fiddled with the cross around her neck and looked Pepito in the eyes. "You're father and I found him at the Defective Meat Head Institute in Slaughter Town. Apparently his parents had him committed and-"

"But he is not crazy!" Pepito was off of the couch in an instant and standing with his legs spread apart and his fists clenched tightly. His eyes sparkled with an unnatural light, a cold radiance that gave away his birthright better than the horns on his head. "Those…those…" His hands gestured in a strangling motion as he spoke each word.

"Pepito, sit down and let your mother finish explaining the situation." Juan Diablo led his son back to the couch cushion he had been sitting on. He then took his place beside his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Thank you, Juan darling." Rosemary reached up to clasp his arm in her hand and then took a deep breath. Her eyes opened and she began to speak.

His parents had had to pull a lot of strings to find the boy; they had worked together throughout the whole ordeal. Pepito felt intensely grateful to them, and horribly proud of his mother. She had never gotten involved with his father's type of work before, not even to save the lives of young children. Yet for him she had braved the fiery pits of hell in order to do research with his father.

It had been a social worker, a colleague of his mother's, that had finally given the two the information they had needed to track down Todd 'Squee' Casil. It was pure luck, his mother informed him. If the man hadn't led such a terribly corrupt life, if he hadn't been hit by that car when he had been, why they might have not found Todd in time.

That struck a cold note deep inside Pepito's heart. _Might have not found Todd in time._ The words echoed on within his head, their possible meaning growing darker and darker with each repetition.

"_What…did…they…do?"_ Pepito took a breath between each word, trying to keep his demeanor as polite as possible. He was not angry at his parents, after all. He was angry at Todd's parents, and he was panicking as the words continued to warp within his mind.

"Sweetie, the place was so terrible-and Todd has always been such a sensitive little dear of a boy." His mother's voice faltered momentarily and then began to fad out as she fiddled with her cross. This did not, however, stop the tears that were forming in her eyes from falling down her face and onto her lap. She had seen horrible things in her line of work-children thrown in ovens, babies bruised up from parent's ruff handling, teenagers forced to sell themselves on the street. She had always managed to keep strong for them, but she knew now that that was just because she didn't have some sort of emotional attachment to those children. Oh, it hurt her inside to see them, made her feel ill even, but it didn't rip her heart right out of her chest. None of those children were the only friend of her son.

"They were going to lobotomize him, Pepito." Juan pulled his now sobbing wife against his chest and ran a hand soothingly through her hair. "We managed to stop them, of course, but he's not in the best shape right now. He didn't recognize either of us, he doesn't talk…the situation is looking rather grim." He patted the cushion on his left and Pepito moved silently to sit beside his father.

His eyes were wide with shock and his father pulled him close, trying to comfort him. It wasn't an easy thing to do, him being Satan and all…he was more used to frightening people than to setting their minds at ease.

"I have some of my most skilled people working to help him though." Holding his two emotionally distraught loved ones made him feel uncertain. "From what we can tell it was the shock treatment that got to him…along with the aura of that place. Your mother is right about him being sensitive." Pepito cocked his head to the side inquisitively at his father's words while wiping away a few stray tears.

"Shall he really be okay, father?" Pepito's voice was strong, but the emotional undercurrent was shocking. His tears were evaporating quickly now, and Rosemary's sobs had diminished to light hiccups.

"We think so, son." Juan Diablo placed a kiss on Pepito's forehead. The family sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking.

"Can I see mi amigo soon?" Pepito gave a grin that managed to be shaky and cocky at the same time. "Me amo Todd _mucho_, padre…y yo quiero hablar con el."

Rosemary laughed lightly as her son slipped into a steady stream of babble in Spanish. She wasn't fluent in the language, though Juan had been teaching her some of it. She understood basic words, and certain phrases. I love, I want, to talk, and with him were some of the few things that she understood. Juan used the first one often when they were together.

"Sí, Pepito. Rosemary, darling, are you up for a trip to the hospital with us?" Juan stood up and helped his family to their feet. Rosemary nodded and then smiled at her husband. Pepito reached into the pocket of his pants and gave the bit of stuffing that was hidden there a small squeeze.

The Diablo family piled into their car and began the hour long drive to the hospital that Todd Casil had been placed in for recover. Senor Diablo had not been lying when he had said that he had the best people available working on the case.

Once they got to the hospital, Pepito swore to himself, he'd get Squee's sanity back.


	3. I saved you once from Hospitals

TCA-Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own 'Squee' or any of its characters. I am making no money off of this story.

Please read and review! Note that chapters might be coming a bit slowly. I'm doing graphic design for an informational anti-drug booklet my school is putting out, and the wonderfully incompetent bureaucracy lost the digital copy-so I'm typing out 40 pages of information, drawing illustrations, putting it all together, and then editing the whole thing.

*story time*

Pepito Diablo hated the smell of hospitals. The scent of blood, death, and various antiseptics made his head spin, mostly because of his acute sense of smell. The combined scent of various diseases made his head swim. The fact that Todd, his precious little amigo, was among those sick masses was only making it worse.

The Diablo family had arrived at the hospital rather quickly, if recklessly. Juan Diablo had driven as fast as the family vehicle could go, running stop signs and ignoring the speed limit signs. Rosemary had tightened her fingers around her cross and held on to her safety belt for dear life. They had signed in at the front desk just as quickly as they had arrived, and then Pepito was rushed to an elevator while his parents talked to a group of doctors.

Wandering through the hospital's halls while searching for the room number his parents had given him was frustrating. Eventually he came to a nurses' station and asked directions from there. The smiling woman behind the counter had called over a red headed nurse and asked her to take him to the room.

"There are just so many turns, you know darling?" The blonde behind the counter smiled at him and waved the two off towards the left. "So…you must be Rosemary's baby! She's told us all so much about you, and your little friend." She hummed as she walked and Pepito felt more irate as the moments went by. He wanted to be with his amigo, and damn it all to hell he wanted to be there immediately!

"May we please hurry? I have not seen my friend," Pepito managed to keep the term of endearment from slipping from his lips in front of strangers. "For a good three months or so. I would appreciate it if you could get us there with haste." He laid on as much charm as he could, layering it with a slight compulsion spell. He could do that well, at least.

"Okey dokey!" She smiled happily and began to pick up the pace, turning corners at an amazing rate. Pepito smirked lightly and trotted after her, content in the fact that he was finally getting somewhere. It would have taken forever to find his way alone-the hallways all looked the same.

"Here you go little boy!" The nurse stopped in front of room 666-leave it to Satan to put his son's friend in such a specifically designated room-and opened the door. Pepito stepped into the room, dimly lit and thick with the smell of hospital, and the nurse closed the door behind him with an ominous creak. "Have fun visiting…"

Pepito waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the room. Looking around, he could see various monitors, machinery, and an assortment of other medical appliances. All in all it was almost a typical hospital room-there were slight differences, of course. Pepito strongly doubted that all of the rooms in this particular hospital contained plush hospital cots, plasma screen televisions, or any of the other various entertainments located in the room. He felt secure in the fact that his amigo was being treated properly, at least.

Slowly, as to remain silent, Pepito made his way towards the lush cot placed in the corner of the room. Centered underneath a mountain of covers was a child sized lump. Pepito moved the blankets aside and sat beside his friend, taking in the unhealthy parlor of his skin. Todd let out a small groan and rolled over onto his back. Curious, Pepito pulled the hospital smock he was wearing up to his chest, taking in the sight of Todd Casil's ribs. The skin was stretched taunt against his bones-malnourished. There were various bruised scattered across his arms, and the needle marks in each one of them seemed to be too large. Even the worn out teddy bear that occupied Squee's arms seemed frayed from its stay at the mental asylum.

A soft moan escaped the unconscious boy and Pepito moved himself closer, pulling the hospital gown back down before wrapping Todd in a loose embrace. He pulled the blankets up to their chins and then nuzzled closer. He could smell various degrees of burnt flesh.

"You're mine…" Pepito ran his fingers through soft ebony hair and cooed the words softly against the shell of Todd's ear. The boy shivered in his sleep. "Mi amigo, you're safe with me now. I won't let anyone else have you…they'll only cause you harm."

Todd Casil began to wake, his eyes blinking languidly to adjust to the waking world. His left eye had a gauze pad tapped underneath it, and Pepito could see a few tiny drops of blood that had seeped through. Pepito Diablo allowed his mismatched gaze to lock onto his friend's delirious eyes. A small squee escaped his amigo's lips as he pulled inward, trying to assume the safety of the fetal position. A soft whining keen meet Pepito's slightly pointed ears, the sound that a kicked puppy might make. The odd noises were coming from Todd.

"Shh…Don't worry amigo, the antichrist is here." Pepito smirked lightly and tugged the other back into an embrace. The noises continued to come from his lips for a few minutes but began to slow and silence when Pepito began to gently rub his back in a soothing manner. "I won't let anyone take you away again. I promise."

Pepito's mother and father found the two boys still curled uncertainly into one another thirty minutes later when they finally came up to visit. Todd's hands were no longer wrapped around Shmee, instead they were clenched tightly in Pepito's shirt. Pepito's fingers were still entwined in Todd's snarled hair, his arms holding the smaller boy tightly. Pepito was humming a lullaby softly, crooning to the lethargic creature in his arms.

"Pepito, the doctors said that we might be able to take him home after a few tests." Rosemary looked at her son uncertainly and nibbled lightly on her lip. It had become a habit to do so when she was nervous. The situation that her family had found itself into was very nerve wracking, so it was no wonder that she felt a bit jittery. Still, seeing her son curled so protectively around another being was an unusual sight.

"That is wonderful mother." Pepito stopped humming and looked at his mother with a small smile. "How long should that take?"

"A few hours, maybe a few days. It depends on how the tests come out. You might have to let go of him, Pepito my child. The doctors won't be able to work around you." Juan Diablo slid gracefully towards the cot, and then rested his hand on his son's shoulder.

"I suppose I might, father." Pepito nodded at his father's statement, slowly beginning to extract himself from his friend. He had no luck however, as Todd's hands only tightened their hold. A soft hiss slipped through Todd's lips and his wild eyes met Pepito's. Cracked lips moved in an imitation of words, but nothing came out. Lovable articulate Squee hadn't talked for so long…his head felt fuzzy.

"…Know…you…" His voice was raspy but still sweet. "…Promised…"

"I know you too-for what seems like forever. It's okay amigo. I'm not leaving, but you need to let me up." Pepito pulled away slowly, moving into a seat beside Squee's bed. Their hands intertwined on top of the bed sheets, Todd squeezing as tightly as he could. His grasp was weaker than it had been before; the strain had obviously tuckered him out. Pepito's parents sat beside him, as he rambled on about things he knew were insignificant. Whenever he stopped talking Todd would make a desperate noise in the back of his throat.

Ten minutes later the door opened with a creak and a doctor stepped in, along with the two nurses from before. The blonde nurse was carrying a clipboard, whilst the redhead was pushing a medical cart covered with various machines and equipment. The doctor had a stethoscope and a smile. The group nodded towards Rosemary and Juan. Todd immediately twitched and moved as closely to the edge of the bed as possible.

"He's letting someone touch him, so that is a great improvement on its own." The blonde nurse commented. The doctor merely nodded his head.

"Todd isn't tolerating touch," Rosemary spoke up from her seat. "He's reveling in it. Refuses to let go of my little Pepi." She smiled at the two boys, her eyes sparkling. She hadn't been sure if letting Pepito see Todd so soon was a good idea. According to the doctors, Todd might never recover fully from what had occurred. But he had spoken, if rather abruptly. That was more than she or anyone else had gotten out of him.

"Ah…" The blonde began to scratch notes onto her clipboard. "Rosemary, have you witnessed any other changes in his behavior since he has interacted with your son?"

"Todd spoke momentarily." Rosemary informed the doctors in her best social worker voice. The doctor nodded and approached Todd slowly, his stethoscope in hand.

_That_ was when the screaming started.

*page break*

Pepito never wanted to be near a hospital again. The experience with Todd had convinced him that such things were just a little bit too much for anyone with even the slightest of empathic capabilities. Doctors were officially a danger, or at least in Squee's mind they now were. Speaking of Squee…

The boy was tucked into a bundle of blankets and literally strapped into the backseat alongside Pepito. Thankfully enough, it was Rosemary that was driving the family vehicle home. Pepito's father remained in the passenger seat beside his wife, sulking slightly. If the situation had been different Pepito would have been laughing like a hyena at his father's predicament. His mother had informed his father that he wasn't allowed to drive while Todd was in the car-least the child suffer from further psychological breakdown.

The testing had not been fun. Gaining outpatient status for Todd 'Squee' Casil had taken the rest of the day, and several hours of the night. It wouldn't have taken such a long time if it wasn't for Squee's newfound phobia of anything related to the medical industry and his desperate need for sub-human contact. Pepito had accompanied the screeching boy through every single test and exam, having to restrain his friend from attacking anyone in scrubs.

Todd was free though, so Pepito felt pretty damn amazing. He would have his amigo stay at his home for a long while, whilst he recovered and got back into the 'normal' groove of things. Maybe, Pepito thought with a little smirk, he could convince his father and some of the higher ups in the coven to teach Todd some form of magic. Protective wards, healing spells…things that would make it a bit easier to keep himself safe.

Pepito already knew that Todd was a psychic magnet for anything dark and dangerous-all he had to do was convince his father of the same. It would give them something to share, really. And the idea of not spending classes alone with his father's friends delighted him to no end. It would be nice not to deal with the occasional boring subject matter alone, and they could tutor one another-Todd was excellent at rhetoric already, something that Pepito had great difficulty in.

Smirking proudly, Pepito wrapped his arm around Squee's shoulder and pulled the boy closer to him. The piece of Shmee's stuffing in his pocket felt a bit warmer, and Pepito thought briefly over giving the small bit of lint to his friend. He decided against it after a few seconds, after all Todd did have the bear itself. It was comforting to have a piece of his amigo so close.

"So Todd, when we get home I'll have to set up my room for us. I've already acquired some of your things," Pepito paused, realizing how stalker-ish that sounded. "So you don't need to go home to get your notebooks or anything like that."

Todd stared at Pepito with blank eyes… and his nodded slowly.

It was a long drive home.


	4. Morning ripped you away

TCA: And this chapter is finally up! I would have posted it yesterday but I fell asleep at 8PM (vacation-skool transition kills me everytime, I'm stuck waking up at 6AM again), then had skool today. Bleh.

Squee and all its characters are copyright by Jhonen Vasquez.

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Pepito hadn't changed his room that much and if one did not know better, one might assume that it was still only a single boy that lived within its walls. However, upon closer examination, small signs of foreign life could indeed be detected in the room of the young antichrist. Fortunately enough the foreign life was indeed human, and had been invited.

On the bookshelf a large quantity of Todd's notebooks and worn out fantasy novels rested beside Pepito's various books of dubious and occasionally illegal content. Pepito grinned widely whenever he saw Alice in Wonderland getting cozy with his printed issue of Steal This Wiki. His smile had practically split his face when he caught Todd reading the stapled pages with a delightfully devious light in his eyes, obviously enjoying himself. Pepito had pulled out more books then, placing them within reach of Todd's curious hands.

It was those little things, sprinkled and tucked neatly around the room, which proved that Todd Casil had indeed been staying with Pepito Diablo. The only large thing that had been added was an extra chair at Pepito's desk. The two boys shared the king size bed, because Todd still freaked out if he was separated from Pepito for too long. Part of him was positive that the men in white coats were going to barge through the door at any minute, and drag him back to the festering cesspool that was the Defective Meat Heat Institute…and simply telling them that his best friend was also the anti-christ probably wouldn't be a good idea. Todd figured that Pepito had enough fire power to back it up, and so his threats would be taken seriously.

The shrink that Rosemary and Juan had hired to see him had made minimal progress, and had been put off when Todd had spent his first session hiding behind Pepito and hissing.

"Dependency," he informed the feral Squee, "is an atrocious thing. An enslavement." Todd had shook his head and then clung tighter to Pepito. When the shrink had tried to move him away from the anti-christ, Todd had bitten deeply into the palm of his hand, and had refused to let go. He had ended up removing a hunk of the man's hand, and had spat it on the ground, only to pounce on the shrink and start scratching at his face in a panic. Juan had been the one to pull the blood soaked boy away from the shrink, while Rosemary had been horrified at the bloodshed, and had apologized profusely to the cursing man. Pepito, however, had stuck out his tongue and smirked at the carnage. If Todd wanted to cleave to him like a fairy to a flower, then he was just fine with it. There were worse things that Todd could hold on to and it wasn't enslavement if they needed each other, took care of one another. That was friendship.

The shrink had not come back after that incident, and Rosemary had felt much less sorry when she heard what the man had said. Juan had simply sighed and fluffed Todd's hair. Todd's smile had been genuine when he hugged Pepito's parents and whispered thanks in his hoarse voice. He had been talking more and more, but all the sounds that escaped his lips were scratchy. Longer sentences wouldn't come out quiet right, and Todd often resorted to writing them in a notebook and flashing it at whoever he was conversing with. Occasionally he would patiently stutter out a sentence instead of using his notebook. Afterward, he would down a glass of cold water to sooth his throat. As he used his voice the mental anguish dulled, but the physical anguish remained-a constant strumming pulse within his vocal cords. The screaming had damaged them, and magic had only soothed the burn, not destroyed it.

Physically, almost all of the damage had been repaired. There was still a tiny scar under Todd's eye, a few more on his arms and chest, and the damage done to his vocal chords. Everything else had been cleared up without a problem, including his weight. Rosemary had forced Todd onto a nutritional high calorie diet for two weeks, ensuring that he would gain the weight and vitamins that he needed. Juan had agreed wholeheartedly with his wife's decision, and had encouraged both boys to glut themselves on whatever food she gave them. At first, Todd had shied away from the large quantity of food, never having been granted so much, and uncertain to whether or not the offer was real. However, Rosemary had been adamant and had him eating everything she placed in front of him soon enough.

Mentally, the scars ran so deep that sometimes it felt as if they would never heal. Todd would stare into space for hours, his eyes empty and his face set in a straight line. He could be shaken, his name screamed out, and he still would not move. Sometimes, after he came back, his legs would be so numb from sitting in the same position that he could not stand. Todd couldn't be away from Pepito for more than a few hours, and panicked if Shmee was not constantly within arms reach. In the middle of the night he would start screaming in his sleep, trapped in nightmares, and Pepito would have to pull him close and hum him into dreamlessness. Todd's constant lapses into ennui worried the Diablo family, Pepito the most. He was terrified that Todd was going to sink too far, and maybe never come back. Every time Todd 'went out' as his parents had started to call it, Pepito would hold the boy like his own personal teddy bear, one that he would never outgrow and abandon.

*~*~

Moving the other boy in hadn't been difficult at all, considering the fact that Pepito had salvaged his few possessions, but it was keeping him permanently that was becoming harder and harder.

The system (as Pepito's mother called the judicial branch) was convinced that Todd would do better in the custody and care of his biological family. Despite Rosemary's desperate pleas, Todd Casil would remain Todd _Casil_. Pepito was seriously considering having someone "accidently" kill Todd's parents. Such actions would make it were he could keep Todd away from those hideous people permanently...and Pepito figured that Nny wouldn't mind having a whack at them.

Rosemary and Juan had hired tutors to come teach the two boys, as reenrolling Todd in skool was too much of a far fetched idea so soon after his ordeal. Eventually he was going to have to go back to skool…and re-master his social skills. Despite all of the worries and problems, or maybe because of them, Todd and Pepito spent all of their leisure time together and seemingly without care.

During the morning hours the two would rush downstairs to the kitchen. Rosemary and Juan were always already at the set table, patiently waiting for their son and his friend. Once seated, plates would be pilled with food and breakfast would begin. Conversational topics were normally centered on work, study, and world domination. Rosemary and Todd normally did not really have that much to say about the last topic, though at times they would chime in with an odd remark or two-Todd more than Rosemary. His fingers were normally stained with ink after breakfast was done, his notebook covered in quickly scrawled comments and suggestions.

After breakfast Rosemary and Juan would kiss each other on the cheek and leave for work, letting the boys entertain themselves in the time before the tutors arrived at eight thirty. This required a great deal of patience and trust on the part of Pepito's parents. The boys were always careful not to break that confidence, keeping their activities semi-legal and un-destructive.

Once the tutors arrived they would then study diligently until lunch, take a break, and restart their learning cycle until three thirty-when the tutors were all gone. The subjects ranged from art to history. Todd was quiet pleased with the instructors, gleeful that the books provided had the correct dates written clearly within their pristine pages. Sometimes, after the tutors left, Todd would gleefully 'talk' about their education. Pepito would nod his head blissfully, every bit as pleased as Todd but content not to voice his opinion on the matter.

Rosemary returned home at five and Juan returned at five fifty. Dinner was served promptly at six, and then Pepito's training started. There was no set time for this, as it varied on how well Pepito managed to properly perform and maintain a spell from his grimmerie. At first Todd had been nervous during the supernatural lessons, refusing to come down to the basement to participate or watch. After a few lessons he had changed his mind and uncertainly tagged along, due to the fact that the rate of his panic attacks were increasing, holding Pepito's hand as they trekked down to the infernally infested space. Once there Todd sat in on the lessons, copying Pepito and (on very rare occasions) mastered spells and charms. Only once Pepito had made noticeable progress were the lessons considered finished. On occasion the lesson would be more centered on politics or manipulation, and both boys showed promise. Non-supernatural lessons normally took half an hour to an hour.

Lessons complete, the two would play together into the wee hours of the night. Sometimes Todd would make up a bedtime story for the two of them, or Pepito would enchant the ceiling to mimic the stars in the sky. Pepito found the routine to be much more pleasant than their former one. There were no foolish mortal children who needed their heads exploded. There was no fear in Todd's eyes when they looked at one another. There was no insane dilapidated teacher that did not value the power of knowledge. There was just Pepito, Todd, and the world that they built together. There were videogames and dreams and power to be had.

Oftentimes Todd would completely relapse, especially whenever something reminded him of the DMHI. Doctors, even on television, threw him into fits of hysterics. Needles. Any medication. Disinfectants. Suction cups. Loud noises. Plastic cups. All it took was a glimpse or a mention and Todd would start shaking, the noise coming from his throat the same pitch as a kicked puppy's bark.

Time passed on in this way for over a month…and then their time was up. They were going back to Mrs. Bitter's class…then it would be time for Todd to return _home_. Pepito had already promised to invite him over as much as possible but all the other boy had done was squee in despair and cling to his leg. Pepito didn't blame him. After all of the tender care from the Diablo family, and the delicious culinary skills of Rosemary, life at the hovel that Todd was forced to call home would be worse than residing in heaven when Nny was there to visit.

~*~*

"Todd, mi amigo para siempre, lavantense!" Pepito shook Todd lightly, feeling the muscles underneath Todd's skin tense forcefully. A soft moan escaped Todd's lips as he pulled the blankets tighter around himself, refusing to be roused.

"No…few more minutes…" Todd said as he nestled sleepily into Pepito's nesting area. The bed had been circled with pillows and blankets so that there was a wall about a foot tall surrounding the bed's edge. The center was hollow, and was where the two cuddled together in sleep. Shmee rested in Todd's arms, tight against his thin frame. Pepito was tempted to agree with Todd- to cuddle up tightly against his friend and refuse to let go. Just maybe, if they never left his room every again, people would forget that they existed. He knew that such a plan wouldn't really work. For the most part, people cared only at the worst possible time. Hiding away in the room that he now viewed as theirs would not keep Todd safe by his side. Sighing at the unfairness of it all, Pepito shook Todd a bit more urgently.

"Come on amigo, time to go to Skool." His fingers brushed the soft skin on the nape of Todd's neck, lingering. Todd shivered as Pepito's warm fingers left his flesh, his eyes snapping open. He had goosebumps. Pepito couldn't help but chuckle at his amigo's reaction.

"Great…" Todd pulled himself slowly out of the nest. Uncertain on his morning legs, he slid to the carpet with a thunk. "More ." Pepito nodded his head and helped Todd up to his feet.

"Amigo, I could always…" Pepito's voice trailed off as he resorted to his own form of sign language. His fingers wiggled in the air, mimicking children flying into the air in a great explosion. "You could probably help too, you know?" He cackled lightly and spun Todd around in a wide circle until they were both dizzy.

"I don't… feel like blowing anyone up." Todd sighed and held himself close to Pepito. He did not know what he felt like doing. "If I eat… toothpaste and throw up… do you think… we could stay home? Shmee says no…but maybe he's wrong?"

"I cannot believe that I am saying this-but I agree with the bear." Pepito tapped Todd's nose with his finger. "No eating toothpaste. Mother would be upset if you got sick, and the system would probably end up sending you to your parents' house to recover." The young anti-christ rolled his eyes and tugged at a lock of his ebony hair in frustration. The stringy lock sprung back into its proper place immediately.

"Squee…"

"My sentiments exactly. Now go shower." Pepito shooed Todd in the direction of the bathroom, unconsciously imitating the concern sounding command voice that his mother often used when talking to him. It was the lilt in the tone that did the trick. The combination of command and compassion was compelling, and Pepito often found himself imitating the voice, especially when talking to Todd. Yawning, Pepito followed Todd to the bathroom and began to brush his teeth while Todd showered. Once the menial task was complete he sat on the floor and idly played with the cuff of his pajama pants.

"Amigo…I love you." Pepito can hear Todd drop the object that he was holding, probably a gel bottle, at the sudden confession. "You are my only friend, and that counts for a lot. Um, I just wanted to remind you, you know, well, that you are welcome here anytime. The invitation is from the whole family, not just me."

"T-thanks." Todd stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel and smiled shyly. He was still trying to get used to having people care about him, and was also trying to come to terms with the fact that he no longer viewed Pepito as scary. The rest of his third grade class was scarier than Pepito, a fact that he couldn't help but find ironic. In fact, everything was scarier than the members of the Diablo family. Todd turned his head to the side so that Pepito would have privacy while getting into the shower, not that the demi-devil cared about such things. Once certain that Pepito was getting clean, Todd began to quickly dry off his hair with his fluffy towel. He pulled on the clothes that Pepito had laid out for him, a baggy maroon sweater (Shmee rested comfortably in the pouch of the oversized sweater) and worn jeans, and sat down beside the tub to wait.

He didn't have to wait long. Pepito took quick short showers, and dried off using his powers-what took Todd fifteen minutes took Pepito five, at most. Todd hadn't even gotten comfortable on the bathmat before Pepito was out of the tub and yanking on his normal clothing. After he had pulled his charmed necklace out of his shirt so that it was showing he offered his arm to Todd with a suave smile.

"Let's go get breakfast, amigo. In an hour it is going to be us against the world, and we shall need all of the strength that we can get." Pepito steered his fragile friend out of the bathroom, while putting on a happy facade. Neither of them were looking forward to the rest of the day.


End file.
